The much anticipated appointment of the new Head of Durban High School has been announced by the Department of Education. The School’s 15th Head Master will be Mr Tony Pinheiro, who is seen by many as one of South Africa’s leading high school educationists. Mr Pinheiro takes up his new appointment at the beginning of the second term.
Mr Pinheiro began his teaching career in 1992 and joined Glenwood High School in April 1994. As the Senior Deputy Principal at Glenwood High, he has been the Acting Principal of Glenwood High since February 2016. This was Mr Pinheiro’s second prolonged stint as Acting Principal as previously, the Department of Education selected and seconded him to the role of Acting Principal of Brettonwood High School at a time when Brettonwood was in dire straits. Mr Pinheiro did an excellent job there, steadying the ship and handing over to the new Principal.
DHS Governing Body Chairman, Mr Winston Owen, commented on the fact that despite Mr Pinheiro having spent 23 years at our “rival” school, his laudable track record speaks for itself. Not only did he do a great job as Acting Head at both Brettonwood and Glenwood, but he was also responsible, as Deputy for Glenwood, for introducing the Advanced Academic programme to Glenwood which led to them being licensed by Cambridge University to run the Cambridge programme, enabling matriculants to have easier access to top overseas universities.”
Mr Owen continues, “Tony Pinheiro has palpable leadership energy. He is a futurist and a visionary, but understands the importance of the traditional values of a great school like DHS. Through the selection process, it became clear to us that he was the right person to lead this fine school with a great history, into a magnificent future.”
Whilst heading Glenwood’s Gibson House Boarding Establishment, Mr Pinheiro saw the boarding establishment grow significantly in numbers, to become the backbone of the school. Judging by the comments of Glenwood Old Boys on the school’s Facebook page, Tony Pinheiro has had a significant impact on the young men that have passed through the school during his tenure.
Mr Pinheiro is married to Colleen, a highly respected educationist herself. His daughter, Cassandra, is in her Honours year as a Bachelor of Science student at Stellenbosch University, whilst Dominic his son, is currently a 1st year student at Tukkies.
Mr Pinheiro is an avid reader and accomplished chess player and enjoys both travel and sport. He was the 1st XV Rugby and 1st XI Cricket coach at Glenwood for a number of years and also helped to structure and introduce the High Performance Programme to the school, beneficiaries of which include the likes of Protea all-rounder, Andile Phehlukhwayo. He has a Bachelor of Education (Honours Degree), and is known to have a particular interest in Educational Management and Law, as well as Sociological trends.
“Highly respected by the young men and staff that have experienced his leadership skills, Mr Pinheiro will no doubt have a significant impact on the future of Durban High School,” says Mr Louis Arde, former Head of Glenwood Preparatory School and recently appointed CEO of the DHS Foundation. “I am looking forward to working with him. With the recent opening of The Victor Daitz Maths & Science Centre at DHS, and a few months before that the Seabrooke Music Centre, and now the appointment of Mr Pinheiro, these are indeed exciting times for Durban High School.”
Mr Owen echoed these sentiments, “A number of really positive things have been happening at DHS lately. Having spent time with Tony Pinheiro this weekend discussing vision and strategy, I am extremely excited about the future of Durban High School. I am convinced that with Tony at the helm, and the necessary support from the DHS community and Old Boys, Durban High will become an extraordinarily good school within a few short years.”
A special assembly was held at the School this morning, Wednesday, 19 April, at which Mr Owen as Chairman of the Governing Body thanked Mr Alan Norton for being Acting Head Master before officially introducing Mr Pinheiro to the staff and boys. This was a significant moment in the history of the School as a warm DHS welcome was extended to Mr Pinheiro, the 15th Head Master in the 151 year history of Durban High School.
Mr Pinheiro addressed the young men and staff of Durban High School. He emphasised his deep seated belief in the importance of values and principles and shared that his vision for the school was to return it to being the top school in South Africa. In addition, he mentioned the significance of traditional boys’ schools and that every young boy should understand what it is to be a real man. He highlighted that each and every learner should have a deep respect for the teaching profession and value their teachers. He then left the young men with a number of quotes, one being “You make a choice and your choice makes you.” Mr Pinheiro ended the Assembly stating that he was honoured to serve as the new Head Master of Durban High School.